Tajikistan better equipped to cope with locusts

Recently, FAO delivered 37 sets of camping equipment to the “Locust Control Expedition” entity of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Agriculture. The sets include water tanks, electric power generators and large tents that will help improve the living and working conditions of locust specialists during the locust season, from early spring to late summer, when they monitor the locust situation and identify highly infested areas.

“The survey and control equipment will allow colleagues at the Ministry of Agriculture to manage locusts’ outbreaks in a better and more effective way, with less harm to human health and the environment,” said Oleg Guchgeldiyev, FAO Representative in Tajikistan. “This will, in the end, contribute to overall food security and to improving the livelihoods of the local population.”

Locust infestations are a severe agricultural threat in Tajikistan, affecting three of the country’s four regions and destroying a wide range of crops and plants. Appropriate locust monitoring allows for improvements in early warning and response mechanisms for locust outbreaks, and it helps establish proper and timely control operations.

The delivery of the camping equipment is part of a Japanese-funded multi-country project to improve locust management through the protection of crops and pastures in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – under the regional programme.